Hai-Duong-09

After a successful ballasting operation, the "Hai Duong 09" shifted from East Quay-5 bto an anchorage off the port of Visakhapatnam on Sep 9 after completion of inspections by various agencies, including Mercantile Marine Department and the port authorities. They intended to raise a claim of compensation from the ship management for blocking space in the port. A decision would be taken to allow it to load billets from the Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINl) only after submission of relevant certification on its seaworthiness. Water had to be pumped into the central tank of the ship from fire tenders during the restoration work to bring back the vessel on even keel. The port authorities were unhappy with the non-cooperation attitude by the ship crew during the restoration operation. They also blamed the ship management for negligence causing the tilting due to de-ballistic after loading 1,200 tonne of steel billets from the RINL. Report with photo: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/andhra-pradesh/vietnamese-ship-sent-to-anchorage/article19659080.ece

The Visakhapatnam Port Trust on Sep 8 constituted a high-level official committee to look into the lapses in loading steel billets of Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL) onto the "Hai Duong 09". The stevedore of cargo, which loaded the iron billets, was Srivalli Shipping and not JM Baxi and Co. The mistake could be due to miscommunication. The inquiry committee would probe into the causes – whether it was due to improper loading, mistake by crew, or technical errors. The cargo ship has been restored to more or less the normal position.

On Sep 7, work was on to get the "Hai Duong 09", which tilted at the EQ-5 berth in the Visakhapatnam Port Trust (VPT) the previous afternoon following improper loading of steel billets, back on even keel. With the help of a generator, water was being pumped into the central tank as part of balancing the cargo vessel. The main generator of the ship had stopped functioning. There were communication problems with the Vietnamese crew. The VPT has obtained an indemnity bond and surveyors from Mercantile Marine Department. Authorities at the VPT have reported the incident to the Director-General of Shipping. Faulty ballasting was cause of the accident. Water was pumped into the central tank before loading the steel. During the cargo operations the ship was de-ballasted for the proper balance. De-ballasting was done after loading of 1.200 tonnes of steel so that the vessel tilted to the berth side. Report with photo: http://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/in-other-news/080917/visakhapatnam-hai-duong-ship-served-notice.html